Louis clxment  datimas



(No Model.) 1

L. C. DAUMAS.

PROGESS OP ND APPARATUS FOR TREATING ORES OF GOLD. No. 486,698. Patented Nov. 22,1892.

/N VENTOH A TTOHNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS GLEMENTDAUMAS, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING ORES OF GOLD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,698, dated November 22, 1892.

Application filediDecember 26, 1891. Serial No. 416,249. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LoUIs CLEMENT DAU- MAS, a citizen of the French Republic, and a resident of Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of and Apparatus for Treating Ores of Gold, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the art of extracting metals from their ores; and the object of my invention is to produce a simple, quick, and economical process and apparatus for the extraction of gold from its ore.

In my process I utilize the property possessed by protochloride of sulphur (8 01 sat urated with dry chlorine, to dissolve gold at or about 130 centigrade. A double perchloride of gold and sulphur is formed, the formula of which is AuCl SGl The ore may be directly treated if it contains no other metal than gold; but if it contains other metals they should be transformed into a state of oxide by a perfect roasting.

' To this end myinvention consists in an apparatus and process which will be hereinafter described and claimed.

' Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a broken sectional view of the entire apparatus, showing it in position for use, and Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the main receptacle, part being broken away.

The dry ore pulverized and previously roasted, if necessary, is introduced with protochloride of sulphur into a receptacle A, which is made of oxidized iron or other substance which is not attacked by chlorine at 130 centigrade. This receptacle may be cylindrical or of any other suitable shape. It may be supported on feet or suspended by the upper part, according to the arrangement of the premises, and in the drawings I have not shown any means of support; but it will be understood that it may be supported in either of the ways specified or in any other convenient manner. The lower part of the receptacle is conical or hopper shaped. The receptacle is traversed from side to side bya series of pipes B, which are elliptical in crossse'ction and through which the steam passes. The object of flattening the pipes inthe direction of the width is to oppose less resistance to the downflow of material which passes between the pipes.

The receptacleA is surrounded by a jacket D, and between the receptacle and the jacket is a coil B, which is connected with the pipes B. The steam enters by an upper pipe F, passing through the pipes B and. the coil B and passing out by a lower pipe E after having heated the interior of the receptacle.

In the upper part of the receptacle A is a wide aperture for charging the same, which may be closed by means of a rubber stopper A, moistened with oil or covered with amianthus board or any other substance which is not attacked by chlorine at 130 centigrade. The stopper is pierced by two openings, one for the passage of the tube H of oxidized iron or other suitable material, the inner end of which is above the level of the material contained in the receptacle. This tube is for the escape of the chlorine when the protochloride of sulphur is saturated. The chlorine will be received in a vat I, containing protochloride of sulphur, which will absorb it. Through the other opening in the rubber stopper passes a small glass pipe J, which can penetrateinto the mass contained in the receptacle, and this pipe terminates at its upper end in a rubber bulb J, which is moistened on the inside with oil, and which servesfor taking samples from the receptacle in making experiments. A tube K of oxidized iron also passes through the upper wall of the receptacle A, and by this tube the chlorine enters. The tube K descends to the bottom of the receptacle and delivers into a mass of spun glass mineral wool, or similar filtering substance a, which is held in the lower portion of the receptacle.

L is a registering-thcrlnometer carried in a jacket of oxidized iron.

In the lower part of the receptacle is a discharge-opening, which is closed by the stopper M, and the spun glass or filtering sub stance is carried above the stopper. By this filtering substance the liquid may be filtered, the stopper removed, and the ore discharged from the receptacle. Beneath the receptacle A is arranged a funnel or hopper N, the top of which may be covered. Thelower part ofthe funnel is closed by a cock Oand the funnel delivers into a vessel P, having an open ing R in its upper part by which the vessel can be emptied either by a pump or siphon, so as to start the filtration of theliquid which is in the funnel.

To dissolve the gold contained in the ore, a current of steam is made to pass through the coil B and the tubes B. so as to heat the ore in the receptacle to 130 centigrade. At the same time sufficient dry chlorine is brought in through the tube K to saturate the liquid, and the chlorine in the saturated protochloride of sulphur is permitted to escape by the tube II to the vat I. A sample is then taken by the little pipe J, and the operator looks to see whether the liquid presents the characteristic reddish color. If it is a dark red, the gold is dissolved and the operation is completed. By pressure obtained by means of a tube for admitting compressed air, which is connected with the tube H, the liquid may be filtered rapidly from the receptacleA into the funnel N. This funnel, as before stated, contains in its lower portion a layer of spun glass or similar filtering substance, and the liquid is left to cool in the funnel and is then filtered into the vessel P. I can render the cooling more rapid by making the funnel with a double wall and causing a current of cold water to pass between the two walls, or a coil of pipe may be arranged within the funnel and cold water-circulated in the coil. On the spun glass is found the double perchloride of gold and sulphur which is deposited as soon as the protochloride has been cooled. This salt presents itself under the form of yellowish needles. \Vhen slightly moistened with water, it decomposes into metallic gold in the form of powder and sulphuric acid. The salt is so unstable that it even decomposes in a humid atmosphere. This powder can be washed with a little sulphide of carbon to dissolve the sulphur which is mixed with the gold. \Vhen the cock 0 is opened, the liquid protochloride of sulphur filters into the vessel P. The length of the operation-that is, the time during which the protochloride of sulphur is kept at 130 centigrade-will vary with the size of the particles of gold to be dissolved. The chlorine which has been dissolved from the protochloride of sulphur in the vat I can be recovered by heating this vat to 130 centigrade and fitting the tube K for admission of chlorine to the receptacle A.

The following are the advantages of my process: First, the operations for extracting the gold from the ore are very rapid and easy; second, the chlorine, after being combiued with the protochloride of sulphur, disengages itself again on account of the high temperature and attacks the gold when it is heated under a certain pressure and without the presence of water, which permits a more prompt dissolving of metal; third, the immediate precipitation of gold by means of a metal without or by humidity only; fourth, the ebullition of the protochloride of sulphur avoids the necessity of mechanical means for obtaining the agitation of the ore and the mixing of the material by means of the ebullition renews the surfaces in contact with the chlorine; fifth, the method for recovering the chlorine which I have just described and by means of which I economize greatly in the chlorine.

In further explanation of the process I will state that when chlorine is added to protochloride of sulphur the latter is converted into bichloride. If this liquid be heated, it decomposes into protochloride of sulphur and chlorine. This chlorine at the moment of liberation (or in its nascent state) combines with the gold and forms a chloride of gold, which is dissolved in the boiling protochloride of sulphur, combining with the latter to form a double chloride of gold and sulphur. Under these conditions the gold will be attacked much more rapidly by the chlorine (when hot and in its nascent state) than when the chlorineis cold and dissolved in water.

The agitation of the ore has for its object the loosening of the coating of chloride of gold formed around the particles of gold. In my process ebullition of the protochloride of sulphur renders agitation by mechanical means unnecessary, because as soon as the chloride of gold is formed the ebullient protochloride of sulphur dissolves instantaneously in combining with it to form the perchloride of gold and sulphur.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The herein-described process of extracting gold from its ore, which consists in mixing the pulverized ore with protochloride of sulphur, saturating the liquid with dry chlorine, subjecting the mass to heat, filteringit, and finally cooling and then moistening the filtrate, substantially as shown and described.

2. The herein-described process of extracting gold from its ore, which consists in mixing the crushed ore with protochloride of sulphur, saturating the liquid with dry chlorine, subjecting the mass to heat, recovering the chlorine, and filtering the resultant liquid, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described apparatus for the extraction of gold from'its ore, comprising a hopper-like receptacle having end closures, a steam-coil surrounding the receptacle, and branch pipes connected with the coil and extending transversely through the receptacle, substantially as described.

t. The herein-described apparatus for the extraction of gold from its ore, comprising a hopper-like receptacle having end closures, a steam-coil surrounding the receptacle, crosspipes extending through the receptacle and connected with the coil, and afiltering material held in the lower portion of the receptacle, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the dissolving-receptacle traversed and surrounded by steammy invention I have signed my name, in prespipes, as described, and having a filtering ence of two Witnesses, this 29th day of Octo substance in its lower end, of a filtering-funber 1891.

nel arranged beneath the receptable and eon- LOUIS CLEMENT DAUMAS. 5 nected with a receiving-Vessel, substantially Witnesses:

as described. Row. M. HOOPER,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as ARTHUR GOOD. 

